1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to sandbagging apparatus for making individual sandbags and more particularly, to sandbagging apparatus that attach to the back of a standard roadway sanding truck.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many municipalities use sanding trucks to spread sand on roadways during snowy or icy roadway conditions. Standard sanding trucks include a large hopper located on the bed of the truck with a selectively operated gate over the rear opening of the hopper and a hydraulic control conveyor belt located along the bottom of the hopper that delivers sand to the rear opening. Located behind and below the rear opening is a broadcast spreader that receives sand from the rear opening and evenly distributes it over the roadway immediately behind the truck.
The broadcast spreader is a relatively small structure that is manually lifted into a rigid frame located behind and below the rear opening. During use, the gate is manually opened and closed by the operator. The broadcast spreader and conveyor belt are connected to control switches connected to the truck""s hydraulic system. The operation of the gate, conveyor belt, and broadcast spreader are coordinated so that sand is evenly dumped and spread over the roadway.
Large sandbagging apparatus, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,956 which are designed to manufacture large quantities of sandbags, are too expensive for small municipalities to purchase. Fortunately, the many municipalities only need an apparatus to manufacture a small number of sandbags. A sandbagging apparatus that can be used with existing sanding trucks to manufacture small quantities of sandbags would be desirable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sandbagging apparatus for manually making individual sandbags.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sandbagging apparatus that may be temporarily attached to a standard sanding truck.
It is another object of the invention to provide such sandbagging apparatus that replaces a standard sanding truck""s broadcast spreader.
These and other objects of the invention which will become apparent are met by a sandbagging apparatus that selectively attaches to a standard sanding truck that includes a large hopper with a hydraulically controlled conveyor belt aligned horizontal and inside the hopper that selectively delivers sand to the hopper""s rear opening. The apparatus, which replaces the broadcast spreader located below the hopper""s rear opening, includes a small hopper positioned behind and below the rear opening. The small hopper is designed to fit into the framework normally used to hold the broadcast spreader. When desired, the broadcast spreader is removed from the framework and replaced with the small hopper. The small hopper includes a vertically aligned chute which directs sand from the rear opening into sandbags positioned below the chute.
The apparatus also includes a control box connected between the truck""s main hydraulic system and the conveyor belt""s hydraulic system. Located inside the control box is a main on-off switch that controls activation of the conveyor belt and an adjustable timer that controls the length of time the conveyor belt is activated. During use, the timer is set to a desired setting so that when the main on-off switch is activated, the conveyor belt is opened a specific length of time to deliver a specific amount of sand to the sandbag. In the preferred embodiment, the timer is electrically connected to the truck""s electrical circuit.
The apparatus also includes an optional, adjustable support table having two vertically aligned arms and a horizontal support member that selectively attaches the framework. When assembled, the support member is positioned below the chute and may be adjusted in height, rotated and folded upward and behind the small hopper for temporary compact storage.